Senior Talent Acquisition Manager

Your Mission

Build a recruiting and talent-market advantage that is specific to GITAI.

You will work with the Head of HR and hiring leaders to identify, engage, assess, and hire exceptional people across engineering, manufacturing, operations, and corporate functions. GITAI will not win by copying the recruiting playbooks of larger aerospace companies or late-stage startups. Build around GITAI’s mission, technical work, stage, strengths, and constraints. Find the talent markets where GITAI can win, then build the channels to reach them. This is a hands-on manager role. You will remain active in frontline recruiting as the company and recruiting team grow. 

What You’ll Drive

• Own full-cycle recruiting from role definition through accepted offer, partnering closely with the Head of HR and hiring leaders.
• Proactively map, identify, and engage scarce, high-impact talent, including passive candidates and people in adjacent talent markets.
• Build GITAI-specific talent channels and long-term pipelines through university engineering teams, technical communities, social media, events, partnerships, referrals, and targeted outreach. This includes hands-on student groups such as Formula SAE, rocketry, robotics, and satellite teams.
• Learn each role in enough technical and operational depth to define strong candidate profiles and distinguish real capability from surface-level fit.
• Act as a trusted recruiting partner to hiring leaders. Challenge assumptions when talent-market evidence points to a better search, evaluation, or hiring approach.
• Assess, engage, and close candidates based on capability, motivation, and fit with GITAI’s operating environment. Build candidate-specific reasons to join.
• Keep recruiting fast and disciplined through clear ownership, timely feedback, accurate data, and continuous improvement. As the team grows, help hire and develop additional recruiters while remaining active in frontline recruiting.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in an agency, startup, or high-growth company.
• 1+ year of in-house recruiting experience at an early-stage startup, Series B or earlier.
• A proven record of identifying, engaging, and closing difficult-to-find candidates, including passive talent.
• Experience recruiting technical roles and across multiple functions. Experience in space, aerospace, defense, robotics, advanced manufacturing, or another hard-technology industry is strongly preferred.
• A track record of building new sourcing channels, talent communities, partnerships, or outreach programs from scratch.
• The ability to learn unfamiliar technical fields quickly enough to run credible searches and evaluate candidate relevance.
• Strong judgment about where an early-stage company can compete for talent, combined with the confidence to challenge hiring leaders when needed.
• A hands-on operating style. You are comfortable moving between sourcing, candidate conversations, assessment, closing, recruiting data, and process improvement.
• Experience with applicant tracking systems and professional sourcing tools. Greenhouse and LinkedIn Recruiter experience is preferred.
• Experience mentoring recruiters or managing a small recruiting team is helpful but not required.

Location and Position Type

• Torrance, CA / Full-time
• This is an onsite role based at GITAI’s Torrance office, five days per week.
• Limited travel may be required for university outreach, recruiting events, and other company activities.
• U.S. citizenship is required due to the nature of GITAI’s work with U.S. government customers and programs.

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this position is $125,000 to $150,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on relevant experience, demonstrated recruiting capability, industry knowledge, and other job-related factors. This position is also eligible for stock options and company benefits. This role does not include a recruiting commission or annual bonus.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Healthcare: 100% paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees, with 90% coverage for dependents, plus life insurance
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a company match
• Equity Opportunities: Stock options in a rapidly growing startup, giving you a stake in our success 
• Relocation Support: Financial assistance for relocation is available for candidates residing outside the Los Angeles area
• Paid Time Off: 12 days of paid time off (PTO) and 12 company holidays annually
• Office Perks: Enjoy free snacks and drinks, plus regular social events to foster team spirit 

GITAI does not accept unsolicited resumes from staffing or recruiting agencies. We work only with recruiting partners that have been specifically engaged by GITAI. No fees will be paid for resumes submitted without a prior agreement.

LA salary range 125000 - 150000 USD